Ments



PIE-BRE E. MIGNAULT, OF ACTON VALE, QUEBEC, CANADA, VAND PETER DOX, OF SALEM, MASS., ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE UNION GAR OOUPLER COMPANY, OF BOSTON, lili-LSSI nehme.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 296,205, dated April 1y 1384- 4 Application filed October 4, lh (No model.)

' Province of Quebec, Canada, and PETER Dion,

'of Salem,in the county of .Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Couplings, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

Our invention relates to an automatic careoupling, wherein a link is engaged and held by means of a downwardly-swinging hook pivoted within the draw-head, and is an improvement upon the car-coupling patented August '29, 1882, by Pierre E, Mignault, llo-263,421;

and it consists in certain mechanism for operating said hook, and in certain details of construction which will readily be understood by reference to the description of the drawings and the claims to be hereinafter given.

In the drawings, Figure l represents an end view of a box freight-car with our improved car-coupling applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents a partial side elevation of same. Fig. 3 represents a central vertical section of our improved coupler. Fig. 4 represents a transverse section.` of the saine, the cutting plane being on line .n v on Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 represent details that will be more fully described hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a box freight-car, and kB the draw-head attached thereto in the usual manner. This draw-head B consists of a longitudinal bar having its forward end made of daring forni adapted to catch one end of a coupling-link and direct it 'int-o the socket a, made of a suitable size to :tit said end ofthe coupling-link, and retain said link in a horizontal or nearly horizontal position. The coupling-hook C is pivoted at its rear end to the draw-head B, as shown at b, so that its front end may be freely swung in the vertical slot D. The coupling-hook C is provided at its extreme forward end with the projection c, which is bent backward over the draw-head B and acts as a handle, by which said hook may be operated by hand when necessary. The projection c at its extreme rear is provided with an eye, d, to which are secured two links, ef, the purpose of which will be more fully described hereinafter.

'Where the hook G has been operated in a slot open to all kinds of weather, much trouble has been found to exist from the fact that the slot D gets clogged by dirt entering therein, and causes the hook C to become inoperative, or from water entering therein and freezing, with the saine result.

Y it is obvious that, 'for the proper working of a car-coupling, it is necessary that all parts thereof should be kept in good condition at all times and under all conditions. Therefore the draw-head B has been provided with the upwardly-extending projection E, into which the slot D is extended a suitable distance `for the efficient working of the hook G. By this means the slot D is inclosed on all sides but the front, which reduces the chances of the hook G getting clogged in any manner to a minimum. The hook C is beveled on its forward end and under side, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to allow the link, on entering the flaring mouth of the draw-head B, to act against said beveled edge to raise the hook C and allow the said link to enter the recess c, when the hook will fall from its weight and the nose g of the hook will engage with said link and prevent it from being withdrawn therefrom. The nose g of the hook C has its inner side concaved, as shown in Fig. 3, to enable it 'to engage the more-firmly with the coupling-link and prevent the hook from Working upward and being disengaged by the vibratory motion ofthe link within the head when the car is in inotion. The part-s are so constructed as to leave between the nose of the hook and the rear wall of the recess a of the draw-head B but little more room than is required to receive the end of the link, in order that the link maybe held securely in position and prevented from nnnecessary end motion.

To the link c is secured a series of links, which connect with the short lever h, secured firmly to the shaft i, mounted in suitable bea-rings, t" t i', across the end ofthe car, as shown in Fig. l.

To either end of the shaft i is secured a short lever, lo, parallel and near to the side of the car, as shown in Figs. l and 2. By depressing the levers 7c 7c the short lever h is raised, and with it the hook C. It is obvious, then,

that the cars may be readily uncoupled from` from the button which is engaged with the lever 7c, Ke simply takes the lever on his side l of the car and gives it a sudden depression,

whichl movement is transmitted to thelever in conjunction with the button, thus moving the end away from the end ofthe button Z, which at once,- by its own weight, takes a vertical position, allowing the lever to regain its normal position, as shown in Fig. 2. The link f is connected to the vertical rod m, by which the hook G is operated from the top of the car. The rod m is provided, near its upper end, with a suitable projection, a, withwhich the weighted dog o engages to hold the rod m, and therefore the hook C, in an elevated position. The dog o is pivoted to the bracket p, secured to the end of the car, and is adapted to hang downwardly from its pivot by reason of its weight, and for the same reason is adapted to regain this position when released from the projection n upon the rod m.

It is obvious that by depressing the lever k, when the rod m is held in a raised position by the dog o, the rod m will be raised slightly, releasing the hold upon the dog o, which will at once regain its normal position, and the rod m may be lowered, and at the same time the hook C. It is also obvious that the levers 7c 7c may be operated by the rod m in a similar manner. This method, by which the hook C may be operated and secured from any one of these three points, and may be disengaged from either of the other two is of great advantage in the successful working of automatic car-couplings.

Vhat We claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. In a car-coupling, the draw-head B, providedwith a suitable recess to receive the coupling-link, and the slot D, inclosfed by the projecting portion E, in combination with the coupling-hook Cpivoted within said drawhead, and provided with the nose g, and the extension c, projecting backward' from the front end'of said hook above the portion E, all adapted to operate substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination of the draw head B, the coupling-hook C, pivoted therein, and provided with the nose g, the short arm h, connected to said hook, and the shaft z', provided at each end with a lever, k,

adapted to operatesubstantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination of the draw-head B, the coupling-hook O, pivoted therein, and provided with the nose g, the arm h, connected to said hook, the shaft i, provided at each end with a lever, 7c, and the stops Z Z, adapted to operate substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In a car-coupling, the combination of the draw-head B, the coupling-hook C, pivoted therein, and providedwith the nose g, the rod m, provided with the projection n, and the weighted stop 0, all adapted to operate substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses, on this 2d day of October, A. D. 1883.

PIERRE E. MIGNAULT. PETER DION. Witnesses:

WALTER E. LoMBARD, E. A. HEMMENWAY. 

